Calentar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb calentar means to heat, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Calentar means to heat something up: calentar la leche, calentar el motor. With se it means to warm up, for a person or an athlete: calentarse antes del partido. Like every Spanish verb, calentar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo caliento la leche en el microondas — "I heat the milk in the microwave". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: calentar
  • English: to heat
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: calentando
  • Past participle: calentado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + calentado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for calentar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for calentar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | caliento | | tú | calientas | | él/ella/Ud. | calienta | | nosotros/as | calentamos | | vosotros/as | calentáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calientan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | calenté | | tú | calentaste | | él/ella/Ud. | calentó | | nosotros/as | calentamos | | vosotros/as | calentasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calentaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | calentaba | | tú | calentabas | | él/ella/Ud. | calentaba | | nosotros/as | calentábamos | | vosotros/as | calentabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calentaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | calentaré | | tú | calentarás | | él/ella/Ud. | calentará | | nosotros/as | calentaremos | | vosotros/as | calentaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calentarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | calentaría | | tú | calentarías | | él/ella/Ud. | calentaría | | nosotros/as | calentaríamos | | vosotros/as | calentaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calentarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he calentado | | tú | has calentado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha calentado | | nosotros/as | hemos calentado | | vosotros/as | habéis calentado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han calentado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había calentado | | tú | habías calentado | | él/ella/Ud. | había calentado | | nosotros/as | habíamos calentado | | vosotros/as | habíais calentado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían calentado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré calentado | | tú | habrás calentado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá calentado | | nosotros/as | habremos calentado | | vosotros/as | habréis calentado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán calentado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría calentado | | tú | habrías calentado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría calentado | | nosotros/as | habríamos calentado | | vosotros/as | habríais calentado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían calentado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | caliente | | tú | calientes | | él/ella/Ud. | caliente | | nosotros/as | calentemos | | vosotros/as | calentéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calienten |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | calentara | | tú | calentaras | | él/ella/Ud. | calentara | | nosotros/as | calentáramos | | vosotros/as | calentarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calentaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | calienta | | él/ella/Ud. | caliente | | nosotros/as | calentemos | | vosotros/as | calentad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calienten |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | calientes | | él/ella/Ud. | caliente | | nosotros/as | calentemos | | vosotros/as | calentéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | calienten |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund calentando with estar for the progressive: está calentando
Past participle calentado with haber for the perfect tenses: he calentado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis. For calentar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo caliento la leche en el microondas — "I heat the milk in the microwave".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo calenté el agua para el té — "Yesterday, I heated the water for the tea".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo calentaba la sopa en la cacerola — "As a child, I used to heat the soup in the saucepan".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo calentaré el motor antes de salir — "Tomorrow, I will heat the engine before leaving".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo calentaría la leche en el microondas si pudiera — "I would heat the milk in the microwave if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he calentado el agua para el té — "Today, I have heated the water for the tea".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había calentado la sopa en la cacerola antes de salir — "I already had heated the soup in the saucepan before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré calentado el motor antes de salir — "By tomorrow, I will have heated the engine before leaving".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría calentado la leche en el microondas con más tiempo — "I would have heated the milk in the microwave with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis. For calentar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él caliente el agua para el té — "I hope he heats the water for the tea".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For calentar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo calentara la sopa en la cacerola, todo cambiaría — "If I heated the soup in the saucepan, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis. For calentar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Calienta el motor antes de salir. — "Heat the engine before leaving.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis. For calentar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No calientes la leche en el microondas. — "Do not heat the milk in the microwave.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with calentar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo caliento la leche en el microondas — "I heat the milk in the microwave"
  2. Mi amigo calienta el agua para el té — "My friend heats the water for the tea"
  3. Ayer, yo calenté la sopa en la cacerola — "Yesterday, I heated the soup in the saucepan"
  4. Antes, nosotros calentábamos el motor antes de salir — "Before, we used to heat the engine before leaving"
  5. Mañana, tú calentarás la casa con la chimenea — "Tomorrow, you will heat the house with the fireplace"
  6. Yo calentaría la leche en el microondas si tuviera más tiempo — "I would heat the milk in the microwave if I had more time"
  7. Él ha calentado el agua para el té — "He has heated the water for the tea"
  8. Espero que él caliente la sopa en la cacerola — "I hope he heats the soup in the saucepan"
  9. Yo ya había calentado el motor antes de salir antes de salir — "I already had heated the engine before leaving before leaving"
  10. Ellos calentaban la casa con la chimenea cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to heat the house with the fireplace when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo calento el agua para el té. — Right: Yo caliento el agua para el té. — calentar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is caliento, not calento.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él calienta el agua para el té — Right: Espero que él caliente el agua para el té — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él caliente el agua para el té — not the indicative Espero que él calienta el agua para el té.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo caliento la sopa en la cacerola — Right: Ayer, yo calenté la sopa en la cacerola — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo calenté la sopa en la cacerola.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo calenté el motor antes de salir todos los días — Right: De niño, yo calentaba el motor antes de salir todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo calentaba el motor antes de salir todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo caliento en la leche en el microondas. — Right: Yo caliento la leche en el microondas. — calentar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo caliento la leche en el microondas.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on calentar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la leche en el microondas — "I heat the milk in the microwave" (present) A. caliento B. calientas C. calienta D. calentamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el agua para el té — "He heated the water for the tea" (preterite) A. calentó B. calenté C. calentaste D. calentamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la sopa en la cacerola — "We used to heat the soup in the saucepan" (imperfect) A. calentabas B. calentabais C. calentábamos D. calentaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el motor antes de salir — "You will heat the engine before leaving" (future) A. calentaré B. calentará C. calentaremos D. calentarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la casa con la chimenea — "I would heat the house with the fireplace" (conditional) A. calentaríais B. calentaría C. calentarías D. calentaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la leche en el microondas — "I hope he heats the milk in the microwave" (present subjunctive) A. caliente B. calientes C. calentemos D. calentéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el agua para el té, todo cambiaría — "If I heated the water for the tea, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. calentara B. calentaras C. calentáramos D. calentarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la sopa en la cacerola — "We have heated the soup in the saucepan" (present perfect) A. has calentado B. ha calentado C. hemos calentado D. he calentado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el motor antes de salir. — "Do not heat the engine before leaving." (negative imperative) A. caliente B. calentemos C. calentéis D. calientes

  10. Which is the gerund of calentar, used with estar for the progressive? A. calentando B. calentado C. caliento D. calenté

Answer key

  1. caliento — The present form for yo is caliento.
  2. calentó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is calentó.
  3. calentábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is calentábamos.
  4. calentarás — The future form for tú is calentarás.
  5. calentaría — The conditional form for yo is calentaría.
  6. caliente — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is caliente.
  7. calentara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is calentara.
  8. hemos calentado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos calentado.
  9. calientes — The negative imperative form is calientes.
  10. calentando — The gerund of calentar is calentando: estoy calentando. The participle calentado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does calentar mean in English?

calentar means to heat. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo caliento la leche en el microondas — "I heat the milk in the microwave". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is calentar regular?

No. calentar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: caliento, calientas, calienta and calientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: calentamos, calentáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of calentar?

The gerund is calentando and the past participle is calentado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I heat" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo calenté el agua para el té — "Yesterday, I heated the water for the tea". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo calentaba la sopa en la cacerola — "As a child, I used to heat the soup in the saucepan". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he calentado el agua para el té — "Today, I have heated the water for the tea".

What is the difference between calentar and hervir?

Hervir is for a liquid reaching boiling point. Calentar is the wider verb for heating anything — milk, soup, a motor, a house. Calentar means to heat something up: calentar la leche, calentar el motor. With se it means to warm up, for a person or an athlete: calentarse antes del partido.

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